Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: I Wish I Were Black! As a teacher of 5th grade students, I try to make sure that my students have a good sense of all the people and cultures that make up this country. Last couple weeks, I paid special attention to the African American people who have made significant contributions to the US. We read a book written by Walter Dean Myers. We have studied scientists, writers, and political figures. Students were very engaged and interested in the content. Yesterday something happened that puzzled me. Three of my White students told me that they wished they were Black. This was not my intention when I planned all my lessons on contributions of African Americans. How should I address this issue? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I would tell my students I appreciated their sentiment, but then try and dig deeper as to why they made that statement. Is there feelings of guilt? Empathy? Fascination? Depending on their answer, I would plan out my next steps. Perhaps explaining to them by studying other cultures, we can help alleviate any feelings of guilt and bring understanding and acceptance. Or, wanting to coexist peacefully is equally as relevant as wanting to, "be". Clearly this is a statement made by younger kids, and I typically work with 16-19 year olds so I'm afraid I don't have many solutions that are extremely sensitive.